After picking the Cardinals to beat and cover the spread in Week 15 over the Lions, Lorenzo Reyes says the Colts will knock off the Cardinals.
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The Arizona Cardinals are 10-4 with a chance for the third week in a row to clinch a spot in the NFL playoffs. This time it is against the Indianapolis Colts, who are 8-6 and have won five of their last six games.
The Cardinals have lost two games in a row and now look vulnerable.
It is for this reason that USA TODAY’s Lorenzo Reyes has the Colts as one of his three locks of the week. He predicts a 23-17 Colts win, which would send Cardinals fans into a panic.
Of course, if we recall, he also had the Cardinals as a lock to both beat the Lions and cover the 12.5-point spread. That didn’t happen in Week 15. he was 1-2 with his picks last week.
Let’s hope he is wrong about the Cardinals again this week.
The Cardinals’ injury situation could lead to Greg Dortch and Danny Isidora being active on Saturday.
The Arizona Cardinals have protected four players on their practice this week for their Week 16 Christmas night matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. The players they protected likely are related to their injury situation.
This week, according to Tuesday’s NFL transaction report, they protected the following players:
WR Greg Dortch
G Danny Isidora
CB Kevin Peterson
T Eric Smith
Dortch could end up being active in place of injured receiver Rondale Moore. Dortch plays in the slot and can return kicks and punts.
Peterson gives them special teams options and depth at cornerback. They have Breon Borders on the active roster but he was inactive on Sunday.
The Cardinals don’t need depth at tackle but it would appear the Cardinals want to keep Smith around for next year.
Isidora’s protection could lead to him being elevated and active on Saturday. Starting center Rodney Hudson is on the COVID list and Max Garcia has an injured knee. It is possible that neither will be able to play. If that is the case, they could turn to backup guard Sean Harlow to start at center for the second time this season, which would make Isidora the backup guard.
After an awful 30-12 loss by the Arizona Cardinals to the Detroit Lions in Week 15, it appears they are falling apart like they did at the end of last season.
They are still in the lead in the NFC West, but the loss raises questions as to whether the Cardinals will win another game this season.
In this edition of the podcast, Revenge of the Birds’ Seth Cox and I give our level of panic regarding the Cardinals and their season. We also go over what went wrong in Detroit, where they stand in the NFC West race and preview their Week 16 Christmas game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Enjoy the show!
Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!
Below are the approximate timestamps for the topics we discussed.
(1:00) Is it time to panic?
(12:39) What went wrong against the Lions?
(31:45) What do they have to do to win the NFC West still?
Check out Wednesday’s injury report for the Cardinals’ Week 16 opponent, the Colts.
The Indianapolis Colts returned to practice on Wednesday and released their second injury report of the week. Not much changed, although they did add a starting offensive lineman who did not practice.
The punting and kicking game could be impacted for the Cardinals in their game against the Colts if he is not activated by Saturday.
The Arizona Cardinals might need a new punter this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts. Their regular punter, Andy Lee, has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been placed on the COVID list.
He was one of 33 players around the league to test positive and land on the list.
Based on new league protocols, there is the possibility he could be activated before the game on Saturday, but that depends on the circumstances of his positive test.
Either way, the Cardinals will need to sign a punter Thursday. No punter visits or tryouts appeared on the NFL transaction list for the Cardinals.
If Lee is unable to go, it could impact both the punting and kicking game, as Lee also serves as the team’s holder for field goals.
After two days of practice, it appears James Conner and Max Garcia might not be able to play on Saturday.
The Arizona Cardinals practiced for the first time this week following a day of what head coach Kliff Kingsbury referred to as jogthroughs (a faster-paced walkthrough) and released their second injury report of the week.
There was bad news as offensive lineman Max Garcia was downgraded and they were down a starting running back for the second day in a row.
Check out the details of Wednesday’s injury report below.
Kliff Kingsbury doesn’t think Phillips or Moore will get much practice early in the week.
The Arizona Cardinals lost defensive lineman Jordan Phillips and receiver Rondale Moore to injuries late in the team’s 30-12 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Phillips suffered a knee injury and Moore injured his ankle.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury was asked about them again on Tuesday when he spoke with reporters and suggested there is at least a chance that both could play this Saturday, even if it is a small one.
“They’ll be day-to-day,” Kingsbury said. “I doubt they’ll do much over the next couple of days. Possibly later in the week, we’ll be able to get them moving around and see if they can make it by Saturday.”
If they can at least get limited work by the end of the week, they perhaps can play some.
Phillips missed time earlier this season with a back injury. In nine games so far this season, he has 14 tackles and three sacks.
Moore has 54 receptions for 435 yards and a touchdown.
The Cardinals open the week as 2.5-point home favorites over the Colts for their Week 16 game on Christmas night.
The Arizona Cardinals have two games in a row and three out of their last four games, including a 30-12 embarrassment against the Detroit Lions, who had one win entering the game.
However, despite the recent issues, the Cardinals begin the week as home favorites over the Indianapolis Colts, whom they face in Week 16 on Christmas night, according to odds from Tipico Sportsbook.
The Cardinals mustered only five yards in the first quarter against the Lions, fell behind 17-0 and never recovered.
The Colts played Saturday night and snapped the seven-game winning streak of the New England Colts, beating them 27-17 behind 170 rushing yards and a touchdown from running back Jonathan Taylor, who leads the NFL with 1,518 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.
Let’s look at the odds and lines for the Colts-Cardinals matchup this weekend.
Colts at Cardinals NFL Week 16 odds and lines
The Cardinals are -130 on the money line to start the week. That gives them 56.52% implied odds of winning. A $130 money line bet on them would win $100 if they beat the Colts outright.
The Colts are +105 on the money line with 48.78% implied odds of winning. A $100 money line bet on the Colts wins $105 if they beat the Cardinals.
The Cardinals are favored by 2.5 points against the spread. They are -2.5 (-112). A $112 ATS bet on the Cardinals wins $100 if they beat the Colts by at least three points.
The Colts are +2.5 (-108), meaning a $108 bet on the Colts against the spread wins $100 if they beat or tie with the Cardinals, or if they lose by no more than two points.
The Cardinals and Colts are both 9-5 ATS this season.
The total is set at 49.5 points, with both the Over and the Under priced at -110.
A $110 bet on the Over wins $100 if the teams combine for 50 points or more, while a $110 bet on the Under is a $100 winner if they combine for no more than 49 points.
The Cardinals are 7-7 O/U and the Colts are 8-6 O/U this season.
